“She’s with Nate.”
Cane laughs, hitting the dashboard of my car with his fists. “Until tonight. I bet you a grand she comes tonight… single.”
“I’m not interested.”
“So you and half the male population say until her claws reach you. You’ll be putty in her hands. Plus, she may be more your type. You’ll be running the club scene soon. Do you really want to have a Virgin Mary near you who won’t do the night scene, or someone by your side who you can play with?”
He’s right. Still my mind goes back to mocha-colored eyes.
Stopping out front of Cane’s house, we pull out our backpacks and walk straight around into the backyard where his pool sits with its sparkling fresh water. Darwin’s weather was hot, even in winter, not that we call it winter. You can’t wear anything with long sleeves unless you want to sweat your ass off. Humid heat is what this state’s known for, and owning a pool is on every responsible homeowner’s list. That plus damn fucking good air-conditioning.
“Fuck, man.”
The pool’s full of floaties that look like fruit. Watermelon, strawberries, pineapples, large fucking pieces of fruit float around on the surface.
“Sick, right? Mum found them on eBay.”
Cane will turn eighteen a few weeks before me. In exactly two months, he will be legal to enter my soon-to-be-owned nightclubs. In exactly one month and two days after him, I turn eighteen. It’s a day I’m counting down to. So these parties we always attend or host will be a thing of the past. No more turning away year eight girls who are simply way too young to come in here. Year ten and up is our policy. Police are pretty good around this area. Unless they hear about kids that come to the parties we hold. So we have to try to be as sensible as we can possibly be. Especially if I want to prove to my father that I’m responsible.
Cane’s parents are away for a month now that school’s started back. They’re off on a cruise. We have the house to ourselves. There’s a bar that’s fully loaded and lots of girls coming around. It’s Cane’s perfect night. He comes outside dressed in nothing but speedo’s and a pair of flip-flops on his feet. The laugh that leaves my mouth is loud. What the fuck is he wearing? He’s lucky he isn’t hairy because that would have been the worst sight of all fucking time.
“I’m going to fuck all the cunts tonight,” he yells with his beer in hand, lifting it up to the night sky.
I’ve been sitting outside near the pool drinking, and when I stand, I don’t realize how much I’ve actually had to drink while waiting for Cane to come back. Straight scotch isn’t my wisest choice.
“Enough with that word. Fuck! Maybe try ‘pussy’?” My head’s spinning, but I shake it off as people begin to walk through the door.
“Why on earth would I do that? When cunt is such a sweet word.”
“Because most women hate it.”
His shoulders shrug. “This is why I only say it to you.”
He should learn to filter his thoughts around me too, but that doesn’t mean he will.
“She will hunt you down tonight. I bet my money on it…” He pauses his speech, making me look up. Nate moves across to stand beside him. “Fuck man, you look like shit. That girl of yours break your heart?”
Nate thinks Cane’s being a caring friend. He isn’t, because he turns to me and winks with a smirk.
“Told me we didn’t fit anymore.” He laughs dryly, putting his beer to his lips. His mates around him slap him on the shoulder and drink with him. Cane, on the other hand, can’t wipe the smirk off his face.
“So you wouldn’t care if say… Ryken hit that ass then?”
I could punch him. Honestly. Hard. Right in the fucking nose or throat, I don’t care which right now.
“What, man? Fuck! She hasn’t moved on that fast.” Nate’s looking at me like I’ve betrayed him. Maybe I should tell him it’s the other Tyler family member I’m more interested in.
“What about her cousin? Maybe I should hit that to get back at her,” Nate pipes up to one of his mates.
Nate’s friend chimes in nodding his head smiling. “That would kill her. Her precious Sass… I could break her in.”
That comment makes me want to break him in half. And then quarters, and let’s see what comes after that.
“Leave her out of it, man. She can’t help it that her cousin’s a whore,” Cane says, and for the first time his words aren’t bitchy toward a girl. He respects Saskia as much as I do, and I hardly know her. She’s an enigma. We just want to find out more about her, but she doesn’t seem to give anyone any more information than she’s willing to give.